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Holy Moly what a year!

I still can't believe 2016 is just about over! This year, for Love Struck, has been a year of debuting new products & really hitting my stride. I've had so much fun designing new products, debuting new lines & really selling these products! This year I continued to make the big shift from where I was a few years ago and now really focusing on my brand.Speaking of my brand, I’ve finally feel as though I have a solid brand. I have spent time focusing more on what I want to accomplish as a small business owner & taking opportunities as I see them. When I redesigned my website this year, I really focused on regrouping items in my store, for example, into very specific categories. By doing this, I feel that I made my store easier to use which is benefit for my customers & for my business.

My store as a whole has grown tremendously! I haven’t taken away any specific products; I instead regrouped and repurposed items. I created a whole line of hostess gift sets that are a mix & match between wine totes, candles & wraps, mason jars, coaster sets & a thank you card. It’s a fun idea to even order a few of these sets to have on hand when you might need them!

We started our newsletter a few years ago but it wasn’t getting the response I wanted at the time. So I took a break from that to focus on other aspects of the business. This summer, I decided it was time to bring it back! This time around, I’ve gotten such a strong response & the list keeps growing!

I definitely appreciate my newsletter this time around because I’ve realized how much work it takes to get out & I love that this is another way I can connect with my customers. Currently, I only send out 1 newsletter a month but a goal of mine, as the mailing list grows would be to send out a bi-weekly update. I think this would be a great benefit to have for additional deals & savings and as another way to share blog additional blog posts, events & more!

The blog this year, I decided it was time to take more charge. One of my favorite new things I began was doing craft DIY series. I took a few ideas- such as a Christmas theme or cork board theme- and did numerous posts in a one week time span. These were fun for me to do & got great responses at our blog! I’m already planning upcoming series for next year- and am incorporating guest bloggers in these!

I also find that the handful of posts that are really candid do extremely well. I don’t often feel the need or desire to really express things that are bothering me on my blog platform, but I have moments where writing helps me process what’s going on. This year, I took to writing about a response I had to getting my heart a little broken, my take on online dating, celebrating memories over things & how every body is a bikini body. These have been some of my favorite posts to write & find that they’re some that are most special to me. These kinds of posts are such a reflection of myself & of the year I’ve had!

Overall...

I thought 2015 was a great year (and it really was) but I though 2016 overall was even better! I'm taking what I learned this year & running with it into 2017! Here's to the New Year! Thank you for everbody who stuck with us this year & we can't wait to bring you even more in 2017!

One of my dreams is to have an at home personal library complete with the comfiest reading nook you have ever seen. I'm talking, pillows & blankets to wrap yourself in all while looking out a big window. You'd walk in and be instantly drawn into the nook with a great read.

I would spend all of the rainy days in my nook getting lost in any story. It would be one of those things that if you needed me, you'd know where to find me; snuggled up under a massive blanket in the middle of a chapter.

I might pop my head out if you walked in, but I couldn't guarantee it. Especially if things were getting crazy in the story!

My sister and I are both pretty big readers. We grew up reading a ton, we didn't spend a ton of time watching TV and we got very limited play time on our Nintendo 64. We spent most of our time outside playing with the neighborhood kids, playing with Barbie's (ok, that was just me) or reading. These days, the day that our local library's annual book sale comes around, is pretty much like Christmas for us. We're often one of the first people there, fill up our numerous reusable bags with books & go back throughout the weekend.

As we've gotten older, it's so funny to see how different our book preferences are. I very much use books to escape. I don't like to really think much when I read. I instead use that time to just melt away into the story. Give me a good romance novel any day- I'm a massive Nora Roberts fan. I've been getting into mysteries and even some light hearted auto-biography's (hand me any of Chelsea Handler's books & I'm happy.)

My sister on the other hand loves the twisty, WTF is happening kind of books like Jodi Picoult. These days, if you hand her a WWII novel, she's the happiest clam. We literally have the most opposite tastes in books & what we both love.

Because of this, probably about 10 years ago, we decided to broaden each of our horizons, we would each year choose one book for the other to have to read. We definitely don't always love or even like what the other chooses. The one & only time I ever read a Joki Picoult book, I was anxious the entire time. I hated feeling that way reading a story! And I once gave her a romance novel involving a circus that I'll never live down. All in all, it's one of our favorite sister traditions. Man, does that sound corny! Ha!

Who are some of your favorite authors or favorite titles? Share them with us so we can pick them up!

I had a random jar left over from another crafting project, so I decided to try something a little fun perfect for the holiday season!

I already had my glitter & Mod Podge out so I decided they both had to be incorporated somehow. Which meant, a glittery Santa, duh! So this project, is really easy & really inexpensive. It's a fun craft to do with kids too and it makes a cute little gift!

What you need:-A jar of any size or shape (mine is pretty mini and rectangular)-Glitter- I used both red & white for extra glitz-Black paper that's long enough to create the belt around the jar & to be the buckle-Paint Brush-Mod Podge

Step 1:-First step is to mix some Mod Podge & your glitter together.-Depending on how large your jar is, will depend on how much glue you need. So start small & you can always make more-Use equal parts glue & glitter and mix it up!

-You're also going to want to measure the black strip for his belt. Make sure it's a thickness you like- mine is probably about 1.5 inches wide. And make sure it goes around your jar, about 3/4 of the way since you'll be adding your belt buckle to it!

Step 2:-Start to paint on the mixture you just created-You're not going to get glitter on 100% of the surface you're painting. But if you think it needs more glitter, add more to your mixture and do a second layer.

Step 3:-If you're like me, you probably got some of the glue on the bottom of your jar & if you need, just let it dry upside down!-You'll know it's dry when the glue becomes clear & the glitter will become much darker (oh and if you touch it, it'll be dry too)

Step 4:-Now it's time to create the belt buckle!-I free handed it because I couldn't quite find anything square to trace & quite honestly- I didn't feel like going upstairs to find something.-I cut the best looking square out- a little taller than the belt will be, punctured a hole in the middle & began cutting out the inner hole.-That's optional, you can just leave it solid & be done!

Step 5:-Now, you can glue one edge of one side of the belt to the edge of one buckle-Let it dry & when the mini jar is dry, we can move onto the next step!

Step 6:-When everything is dried, before you glue on the belt, make sure it fits properly around your jar.-Just test it out, the black belt should fit under the buckle-If you cut out the inner square like I did, make sure the belt piece is short enough not to be seen but long enough that you can glue the buckle to it

Step 7:Your last step is to simply put glue on your belt & glue it on! -Press down to make sure that the glue is on the jar well-I let my lay down with the buckle facing up. Then I put something onto the buckle to make sure it stayed in place-Then I let it dry & it was done!

These pictures were taken right before it was totally dry (I was too excited) so there is a little glue still showing. But once it dries, it'll dry clear!

I like this because it's a cute way to wrap gifts that might otherwise be tricky- like when you give money!

Here we are! The final ornament tutorial! I have to say, this one wasn't my ultimate favorite one. Partially because it ended up being time consuming for me as I was figuring out easier was as I was going. So here are my tips to this beaded ornament!

Step 1:-I started off not using a hot glue gun because I despise hot glue guns. But I realized as I started to glue with regular glue that I would have to wait forever for the glue to dry & move onto the next tiny piece of ornament.-So, I gave in & busted out the glue gun!

Step 2:-I found my old bead boxes & pulled out beads I liked & that would go together. What I wished I had done first was sort them out based on color and/or size-The beads I used were 3 different sizes and 4 different color families. I eventually sorted them onto separate plates & was so much happier when I did-I suggest sorting if necessary!

Step 3:-Once you plug in your hot glue gun & it's nice and ready, you can start!-I'm not quick enough for my glue gun so I feel a lot of pressure. What I did, was had my bead ready in one hand, then glued & quickly added it on.-I did find it helpful to keep my ornament in the mason jar top so it was steady. I didn't have to worry about holding it with my non existent third hand!-I had no pattern in mind, I kind of filled in with the smaller beads where there was a nook or a cranny to fill.-One thing you might want to pay attention to, is where the holes of the beads are facing. I didn't even think about it until halfway through. If you place the bead so that the holes are on the side, they'll get covered by the bead next to it!

This took me a lot longer I think because I'm not very confident with my hot glue gun & I wasn't totally organized. If you want to save time, I say organize your beads or simply use the same bead all around (maybe in various sizes to really fill in all the nooks)I also needed to be more careful with the glue because I had a lot of spots where I used a lot of glue and you can kind of tell & then I had those weird hot glue hairs too!If you got those too, you definitely need to spend a little time cleaning up and trimming those hairs away and excess glue I managed to chip away.I had to use ALOT more beads than I really anticipated so I do suggest buying backup beads just in case you run out like I did! This one also ended up pretty heavy, not too heavy to put on a tree my any means, but it did have some weight to it! I do like how it came out in the end. I think it's super pretty! After the fact, I kind of wished I did a pattern starting with the larger beads in a circle up top & gradually morphed into the smaller beads toward the bottom. Or you can do that with different colored beads too! I like how many variations there could be with this ornament! So many opportunities for creativity!

We hope you enjoyed this 3 part ornament DIY series! Share with us pictures of how yours came out- we can't wait to see them!

Author

My name is Kristina and I'm the founder of Love Struck. Read about how Love Struck came to be, see how I make it happen or just read a random thought I just might have! Anything can happen at our blog & I wouldn't have it any other way! It's time to get Love Struck, and what better way to start than right here!